Grant County encouraging people to join COVID-19 vaccine waitlist with more doses expected in coming weeks

Published 11:54 am Monday, March 8, 2021

As the state’s supply of the COVID-19 vaccine increases, county health officials anticipate receiving between 200 and 400 doses for the next couple of weeks.

Kimberly Lindsay, the county’s public health administrator, said those 65 and older on the county’s vaccine waitlist received shots recently. Lindsay said the Oregon Health Authority encouraged the health department to formally reach out to people in groups six and seven of Phase 1b of distribution.

Group six consists of adults between 45 and 64, with underlying health conditions, such as diabetes, heart disease, obesity and cancer.

The group also includes seafood, agricultural, migrant farm and food processing workers. OHA also lists wildland firefighters, those impacted by wildfire and seniors in low-income, group and independent living situations, as well as anyone experiencing homelessness, according to OHA’s website.

Group seven, referred to as frontline workers, are defined by the Centers for Disease Control as grocery, retail, restaurant workers, kitchen staff, bartenders, postal workers, bus drivers and other workers who are in frequent contact with others.

Lindsay encouraged anyone interested in the vaccine to get on the waitlist, but especially people in groups six and seven.

‘False sense of safety’

After the county saw an uptick in COVID-19 after a two-week lull in new infections, Lindsay said in a press release that COVID-19 has “a lot of room to roam” in Grant County, and the community cannot afford to let their guard down.

“COVID is still a very real thing in Grant County,” Lindsay said in an email. “It’s easy to get comfortable when we have two weeks of no new cases. Not saying all of this to scare. Not at all. Not my style.”

She said only 11% of the county’s population had received the COVID-19 vaccine.

Lindsay said the county is far from reaching herd immunity, a form of indirect protection from infectious diseases that can occur when a sufficient percentage of a population has become immune to infection.

“Those who did have COVID-19 previously are only given a pass from re-catching it for 90 days,” she said. “We are seeing people who have had it prior come down with it again.”

She said some might be susceptible to a “false sense of security.”

Neighboring counties

The county is not too far behind the rest of the U.S., which has vaccinated 15% of the population. Lindsay said 7% in Grant County have received the booster shot to complete their vaccinations.

Harney County, as of Friday, has vaccinated 16% of its 7,360 population — with 915 receiving a second dose and 271 still in progress.

Malheur County, with a population of over 32,000, is at over 3,800 but only 11.9% — with over 1,800 fully vaccinated and over 2,000 in progress.

Baker County is at 18%. Crook County is at 16%.

Lake County, similar to Grant County in terms of population, has vaccinated roughly 16% of its approximately 8,000 people, with roughly 800 people fully vaccinated and upwards of 500 awaiting a booster shot.

Vaccine perspective

Lindsay said, while many people have yet to get the vaccine, it is premature to determine the county has a high vaccine refusal rate.

She said that could be the case, but until the county is at a point where there is vaccine sitting on the shelf, they will not know.

“Those that want the vaccine have taken every vaccine that we have available,” Lindsay said.

Email name, date of birth, mailing address and phone number to vaccine@ccsemail.org or call the Grant County Health Department at 541-575-0429 to be added to the waitlist for the COVID-19 vaccination.

“COVID is still a very real thing in Grant County. It’s easy to get comfortable when we have two weeks of no new cases.”

—Kimberly Lindsay, Grant County public health administrator